Scope halts PR manager search

An internal memo from the executive management board (EMB) seen by PRWeek said the budget deficit was £2m more than the £5.6m figure predicted at the beginning of the year.

The statement said recruitment would be slowed down 'with immediate effect' and this applied to vacancies already advertised. A spokesperson for the charity said its PR manager role advertised in July would now have to be 'reassessed and reapproved'.

However, of more concern to staff was the admission by the EMB that 'there will have to be some redundancies' at the charity.

The spokesperson said it was still 'early days', and the board was conducting an 'ongoing assessment' into where the axe would fall. He added that there had been no mention of redundancies in the five-strong press team.

As well as financial difficulty, Scope has come under fire in the press this year over director salaries and the closure of care homes.

In March, chief executive Tony Manwaring said he intended to change the focus of the organisation's £100m budget towards helping the disabled to live in the community, instead of in separate institutions and schools. He also announced the closure of two specialist centres.